The doctor carefully opened the roll of skin upon the table, while Chris turned the lamp up a little higher, keeping one eye upon his father’s actions the while and then scanning eagerly the plainly-seen marks which pretty well covered the little guide.
For that it was evidently intended to be, so as to give future searchers an easy means of reaching the treasure that the unfortunate adventurer had discovered.
All gazed down at the skin, which had been smoothed out, and for some minutes not a word was spoken. But it did not take long for the whole of the party to come to the same conclusion, and it was this—
That the adventurer had taken great pains in the preparation of his map for another’s benefit, in case he should not be able to seek for the treasure himself, but that to make his chart available it needed something more.
Griggs was the first to give his feelings words, which expressed the thoughts of the rest exactly.
“This is all very well,” he said, as he wrinkled his brow and scratched his head viciously, “and it’s very nicely done for a man who seems to have begun by making his own makeshift for paper, and then his own pen and ink. What do you make this skin to be, doctor?”
“The nearest guess I can give is that it is the skin of a jack-rabbit that has been pegged-out tightly and dried in the sun.”
“Same here,” said Griggs; “but what about the ink?”
“Ah, that looks like charcoal ground very fine, mixed with water and some kind of tree gum, and painted on with a pointed piece of wood.”
“That’s just what I thought it might be,” cried Griggs, “and a deal of trouble the poor fellow has taken with it. Look here, neighbours, east and west and north and south plain enough. What does he say here?—‘Des—’ Yes, that’s right enough, and means desert. Plenty of it too. And what’s here?—‘No water.’ Of course, and over and over again, ‘N.W.’ That means no water, of course. Mountains under these stars. Plenty of ’em too. More desert, and then three stars set triangle fashion about what looks like a square box with some one’s name on it.”